First listen to Harry Chapin - W.O.L.D. (REACTION)

Original Video: • Harry Chapin - W.O.L.D.
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[@RicoBurghFan]

WOLD is a radio call sign, but the OLD part is meaningful. Such a powerful song of longing and loneliness, one of my all-time favorites.

[@thomastimlin1724]

the line in WOLD that always gets me is: "Sometimes I get this crazy dream where I just take off in my car...but you travel on 10,000 miles and still stay where you are..."

[@miketocci]

Same here. Such a powerful line. It hits me every single damn time.

[@mrtyreus0]

Reminds me of his other song, Greyhound. It's the journey, not necessarily the destination.

[@sheryld1957]

Harry was legendary in his songwriting, singing and philanthropy

[@davidbarker77]

Harry was an artist best seen live. Had the privilege of seeing him 5 times and every time was amazing. In his humanitarian efforts against world hunger, he did a fundraising concert or series of concerts with James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot and John Denver. Man, do I wish I’d been able to see that! Four men, four guitars, singing each other’s’ songs. Anyone out there catch that? Daniel, thanks for bringing attention to this great artist. Suggest The Rock, Mail Order Annie, Tangled Up Puppet or just about anything he did. Six String Orchestra is also great for a bit of fun.

[@sherryheim5504]

I LOVE six-string orchestra!

[@AdmrlLocke]

I saw his last two concerts at University of Illinois.

[@scottwocher9812]

I saw Harry in concert 3 times. No one else I ever saw could relate to the audience and their emotions like him. What an incredible human. And his fight against world hunger...wow!

[@robertheckman8013]

"30,000 lbs. of Bananas" is another great story tune about a produce truck accident in Scranton, PA. (Don't worry, it is not a sad song!)

[@marykral6463]

It was a true story!

[@miketocci]

The ending of the tale is certainly kinda sad but I know what you mean. It's one of my favorite live versions of Chapin music.

[@miketocci]

I was only 4 years old when Harry Chapin died on 1981 but he's my favorite of all time and Greatest Stories Live is my favorite album of all time. W.O.L.D. is one of his best and I've been rocking to this one for decades, it still sounds new every damn time. Harry's brother, Tom Chapin, handles the vocals on the bridge in this version. And when Harry sings K.A.H.J. in the last chorus he's using the call letters of a local radio station. He would do that in concert in every city, using call letters of a local station that would play his songs. The song is from the point if view if a radio disc jockey, a job that has incredible turnover, requiring D.J.'s to travel from city to city to get another job every time the station changes formats or just fires him. When he says 45 going on 15, he's talking about being stuck in time, never maturing or getting wiser in life. He's stuck spinning records for kids when he really wants to open a record store and have his own business doing something he loves. His "crazy dream" of driving off in his car haunts him because he knows that no matter where he goes he won't escape the pain of losing his true love and not living his dream. Harry's music is so full of emotion and truth that it hits hard every time. I love his songs so much and I'm so happy to see you getting to know them. I'm glad you're liking his tunes and look forward to seeing you discover more. Keep the change!

[@lasnide1252]

As a fan of the Chapin family's music, I used to watch a kids show hosted by Tom Chapin on a US network called 'Make a Wish", just to hear the one unique Tom Chapin song in the show. When Tom came to town doing 3 nights in a local music bar, I was there every night. The final night, Harry stopped in and joined his brother for a final set, the night before his scheduled concert in a significantly larger venue. It was best bar act I ever saw.

[@lreadlResurrected]

Thanks for bringing up Tom Chapin and the Make A Wish show. One of the best TV memories I have, period.

[@marykral6463]

@@lreadlResurrected just an FYI, Harry wrote most, if not all, the songs for Make a Wish, an outstanding TV show.

[@lreadlResurrected]

@@marykral6463 Thanks, I learned something new today.

[@marykral6463]

@@lreadlResurrected 😊👍

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

Harry left a legacy of feeding the hungry... He was an amazing humanitarian and artist... I have all of his albums and many on cd now... While I love his live albums and songs, there are so many songs that were not recorded live... He is my favorite story telling singer songwriter...

[@miketocci]

Great to see someone mentioning his humanitarian efforts. I love his songs and yet his charity work is such an important part of Harry's story. Check out the 2020 documentary on Harry, WHEN IN DOUBT DO SOMETHING. It's available on DVD and Amazon streaming.

[@marykral6463]

@@miketocci yes in deed. When in Doubt, Do Something is an amazing documentary of Harry's life. He was such an amazing humanitarian along with singer/songwriter. He would have WHYHUNGER barbecues at his house, which I was lucky to attend, and the proceeds went to World Hunger Year. He played football with us, cooked on the grill and then topped it off with a concert, just sitting on the grass in his backyard. He was the most unselfish person ever. He gave away most of his earnings to feed the hungry. Long Island Cares was founded by Harry and there are other food banks in his honor. LIC does an amazing job especially during the pandemic, to make sure no one goes hungry. His legacy lives on!!!

[@miketocci]

@@marykral6463 That's so awesome that you got to meet him! I've seen pictures of those barbeques and they looked like a lot of fun. I was only four in '81 when he passed but my dad got me into his music and by the time I graduated high school I knew the words to every one of Harry's songs. I've been to tribute shows and met some of the band (brother Steve, Big John Wallace, Howie Fields and Yvonne Cable plus brother Tom) Chapin music has been the soundtrack to my life since the early 90s (and I've turned a lot of friends on to it too). It's great to talk to other fans and keep the music alive. Keep the change!

[@marykral6463]

@@miketocci oh yes, the barbecues were wonderful, Harry would walk around and talk to everyone, taking pictures with us and he was just an amazing man. He did so much in his young life. The barbecue I went to was September 1, 1976. My sons were young back then but they can sing every song of Harry's even now. My heart broke when he died. I was so fortunate to grow up on LI and see him in concerts during the day at colleges and I would bring my youngest son. He was 5 and he would sing Taxi right along with Harry. Harry loved it, he always gave my son a smile and a nod. I'm so glad you got to meet Tom, Steve, Big John, Yvonne, etc. They were so very talented. There will never be another Harry. There are groups on Facebook, Strangers With the Melodies is one of several Harry Chapin groups. You should join. Scott Sivikoff runs Strangers With the Melodies and does a concert every Sunday night, all Harry songs, from 8 to 10. It's a great bunch of people and we all chat as Scott live streams. He is well known by the Chapin family and Steve has played on some of Scott's songs. (Scott is a singer/songwriter too). Check it out some time!😊

[@theplanetruth]

10:28- again, Daniel, your insight blows me away. At this point in the timestamp you say this for the second time and I wasn’t sure I heard it right the first time. I’ve been listening to this song since the early 80s and I never heard it the way you did. I never heard him saying to her that that he’s playing the songs for her. I always thought that’s what he said on the air for his audience... “Playing all the hits for you, wherever you may be…” Like he’s just talking to everybody. That’s the way I always took it. Ah! You’re so good. 15:00

[@billross7245]

He always changed the call letters to a local radio station where he was playing on one chorus. This one was a local LA station. I always enjoyed his interactions with his audience at his concerts.

[@CritterRepairTech]

W.O.L.D.: radio call sign and/or sad reference to an aging disc jockey in the twilight of his career having lost his family to that career. “45 going on 15” while fading to lesser known stations.

[@rhinehold4268]

Harry Chapin is one of my biggest influences in my life, grew up listening to him. Between him, my father and Terry Pratchett, that pretty much rounds out my major influences. He got me through so many tough times in my life. He deserves to be revered and remembered. I can't think of a bad song on that album, I bought it in the late 70s...

[@miketocci]

Same here. I was only 4 when Harry died but my dad would play this album literally every single Saturday afternoon and by the time I was 12 or 13 I was hooked. By high school I had all his available tapes and CDs and now in my 40s I've been a huge fan for decades. Harry's music and life has been something I've relied on for years now.

[@IllumeEltanin]

Ramble on, Daniel. Your experiences and how these songs relate to you is what make your reactions special for me.

[@daveking9393]

Exactly!

[@jamescoomer4413]

"Better Place To Be" from this same live album is arguably his best song.

[@theplanetruth]

Do you follow Jamel aka Jamal? He just reacted to ABPTB.

[@miketocci]

It's not just my favorite Harry song but also my favorite song of all time. And the Greatest Stories Live version is my favorite version of Better Place To Be

[@miketocci]

@@theplanetruth I saw that one and really enjoyed it. This channel and Jamel are really the only two music reaction channels that I enjoy. The others either seem phony or they just don't get into the music and analyze it at all (at least not any others I've seen). These two guys do a great job with reviews and analysis of the music.

[@jerrybevens7081]

Written when he did a concert in Watertown NY. I saw him in concert the next year when he came back and he told us how he wrote the song when he "spent a week there one afternoon"...first real concert I ever saw. We were going to his free concert at Eisenhower Park on Long Island the day the news hit that he died on the infamous Long Island Expressway (LIE).

[@kaafromoz]

Your so right Harry knew just when in the song/story when to throw in that PUNCH to the heart, I also would place Harry as number 1 in the story telling song genre. He just has a way to tell about life that every soul on this planet can relate to in some way. Thanks mate for allowing us to journey with you with Harry as our guide. A beautiful man with a beautiful soul sadly missed RIP Harry. Keep Safe Keep Strong

[@bobangell1679]

As a radio programmer back in the day, I can tell you we just loved to add songs about us into rotation.

[@mikemiller3069]

All commercial radio stations in the US have 4 call letters beginning with either "W" or "K". Stations East of the Mississippi river begin with "W" while stations West of the Mississippi begin with the letter "K". Here in Minneapolis, we have both but if you live on the East coast, all of your stations begin with "W" for example.

[@johng.8517]

That's a great album. I got that when it first came out. Have played those songs a hundred times. I really like that YES shirt!

[@Peggi109]

This song is also in reference to a radio station we had in NY. WNEW was a rock station.

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Best radio station ever in the 70's

[@actorJSB]

Daniel you've no idea how happy your appreciation of Harry makes me (and I love that he gets you teared up every time without fail - yep, happens to me too). What you probably don't realise is how terribly underrated he was in his lifetime - audiences loved him, but he was absolutely savaged by the critics on a regular basis - to give you an example here's Robert Christgau's (self-proclaimed 'dean of American rock critics') review (supposedly of the whole Short Stories album, but this is the only song he mentions): 'Harry had a problem. He wanted to write a song about a DJ, kind of a follow-up to "Taxi," just to prove it wasn't a fluke. Harry doesn't meet many real people, so cabbies and DJs provide that touch of social realism. He wanted to set the song in Boise, Idaho, not because he had anything to say about Boise, but because "Idaho" rhymed with "late night talk show." Unfortunately, call letters that far west start with K rather than W, which messed up his rhythm. Akron, Ohio? Wrong rhythm again. Denver, Colorado? Nope. So he called it "WOLD" and hoped no one would notice. Note: this analysis is nowhere near as longwinded as Harry's stories' -then rates the album a D+. Well critics be damned (and openminded, open-hearted youtube reactors praised) is all I can say to that.

[@miketocci]

Absolutely great points here. Harry's my favorite and when I learned about how he was ripped by the critics I was angry. As I got older and got some perspective on it I began to smile about it. Harry's fans loved him and still do. He made a difference and still does while so many of those pretentious artists' songs that were lauded by critics have faded into time. I love Chapin music as much now as I did when I discovered most of it back in the early 90s. My friends were listening to music that's largely been forgotten and they would kid me about listening to "old music" even then! Well, now they're all fans, they've got the CDs, know the words to the songs and have been with me to the tribute shows. To hell with the critics, the music speaks for itself. It brings people together and Harry made more of difference in my life than any other musician or any other kind of artist for that matter. Keep.the change!

[@joanbounacos8958]

I love this song, having been the morning dj on WCEZ. Your interpretation is spot on. DJs change stations a lot, especially back in the 60s and 70s, before the playlists were automated. So one might work for an FM station, then change their name and do a talk show somewhere else, then an AM station, and on and on. Unless you were in a huge market you got a small salary and "all the records you could steal." So many deejays did side jobs for the extra cash. Harry said so much with so few words. Such a good man.

[@resin3100my]

Thanks for reacting to this song.I have seen many other reactors do Harry Chapin songs and I always suggest this one,but you are the first one that I have seen do it.It was the first Harry Chapin song I ever heard and I fell I love with his music immediately.Thanks again and keep the Harry Chapin songs coming.

[@jimtuell4076]

Harry was not just the master of the story song. He was. in my opinion, the master of bittersweet. Sometimes more bitter, sometimes more sweet. This is fairly bittersweet, but "A Better Place to Be" is the perfect example of bittersweet.

[@marykral6463]

ABPTB is one of Harry's favorites. Great song!

[@theplanetruth]

I have the album too from my childhood. I wore that album out.

[@dalem8332]

More excellence from Harry! Such a great songwriter storyteller singer! ♥️🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦

[@billpickard7848]

My guess W O L D are the call letters of a radio station. Harry was a great storyteller and he had a good voice. ROCK DANIEL

[@prestonpresley6885]

His studio version of 'Sniper' and 'Better place to be' are his best on several levels.

[@edalisauskas7313]

Harry's brothers Steve (piano) and Tom (guitar/ vocal on that bridge section) played with him here Tom Chapin had a Saturday morning show in the early 70s called Make a Wish. There are clips on KZbin A "groovy" educational show with music Some other Harry suggestions Mr. Tanner Shooting Star A Better Place to Be I wanna Learn a Love Song All great stories as well! Enjoy the HC ride!

[@alanpeterson4939]

Sniper Corey’s Coming The Rock

[@edalisauskas7313]

@@alanpeterson4939 also good ones esp. Sniper!

[@marykral6463]

@@edalisauskas7313 Sniper is genius! Harry was able to write this true story song and sing it with such passion. Everytime I hear it I am blown away. Harry was a genius! Such a huge loss to humanity, the music world and his fans.

[@miketocci]

Tom Chapin's song Saturday Morning and Steve Chapin's Let Time Go Lightly are both great songs and are also both on Greatest Stories Live. They're not Harry songs but they are Chapin music.

[@edalisauskas7313]

@@miketocci forgot about those 2!! Have to revisit this album again Best version of 'Shooting Star' is on this Live record Never cared for the studio version (too overproducted IMO) Beautiful song NICE ones, Mike! DICON, you have too many choices re Harry!

[@Yosef1952]

13th! Harry was always soulful. And your responses are always so genuine.

[@mikephalen3162]

I saw Harry Chapin in 1973 in college when he toured for his debut album. There's a powerful song called "Dogtown" on that first album where he takes the part of a woman who lost her husband at sea. My take on W.O.L.D. is that Harry is a DJ who has landed a DJ job in the town where his ex-wife and kids live. So he wants to reconnect and, of course, the wife has moved on after eight years. The bit about feeling 45 and going on 15 means to me that he is physically feeling his age but he works in a professional that lends itself to arrested development. And, of course, the call letters aren't a random choice (W OLD).

[@markoneil2055]

Dog Town is insane. Awesome song.

[@eddiewillers1442]

Yeah....I remember when I thought 45 was old too.

[@e.nowbodhi144]

I remember the day Harry died like it was yesterday. He was speeding out after an afternoon show in NYC to Long Island for a benefit to raise money to fight World Hunger, which was his tireless mission in life. He was one of my favorites and I remember crying my eyes out when the bulletin came over WNEW-FM that he was gone. Watching you absorb this song, all I can think of is how much joy Harry, who died so young and in dedication to a cause higher than himself, would feel if he could know that there are young people 40 years later who are cracking him open like a big, beautiful book and immersing themselves in his artistry. It is in this way that he, and seminal musicians such as he, will live forever, and if he were here you would make him so very happy, Daniel.

[@jamesj.navagh222]

I reacted to Harry Chapin about 40 years ago the way you're reacting to him. He completely changed my life. No one else comes close to him. His characters are so vivid and he paints such heartfelt bittersweet stories. They are sad and yet always hopeful.

[@robertheckman8013]

W.O.L.D. are radio station call letters

[@CharCanuck14]

Saw Harry in concert - Ottawa, Canada 1980. It was such a magical evening!

[@iloveterrykath3232]

This is one of my favorite songs! His death was such a terrible tragedy. He was a great, generous philanthropist, donating so much of the money he earned through touring to the cause of eradicating hunger around the world. He was so selfless he kept his tour costs to the absolute minimum production costs possible in order to maximize the amount of money he could donate to this cause. For those who don't know, he died in 1981 in a terrible car accident on the way to a world hunger charity performance. His car was hit from behind, the impact ruptured the gas tank and the car burst into flames. The driver of the truck that hit him and another good samaritan were able to get him out before the car was completely engulfed in flames. He was life-flighted to a trauma center but they weren't able to save him. His cause of death was cardiac arrest, due possibly to an artery in his heart being torn during the collision. I remember seeing the news the night he died and I couldn't stop crying for hours. Thank you for highlighting this wonderful singer/ songwriter, and generous, selfless man.

[@jc296x]

I think the clue to his being 45 going on 15 is in the title.. I think W "OLD" while a radio call sign is a play on words about aging. My all time favorite song quote - is the one about " taking off in my car" .. to me it means your problems don't go away even if you change locations. That one speaks to me personally. The guy that sang the bridge with the powerful voice is his brother Tom Chapin. If you do the whole album you'll hear him and Steve (his other brother) sing lead on a song each. They were both in his band and both still play music

[@daveking9393]

That's it let's get the whole album done We need a full album reaction That's my vote

[@jc296x]

@@daveking9393 100% yes! The stories he takes you on in the album are all perfect. And the music is fantastic. What a difference a cello makes in a band.

[@miketocci]

Tom and Steve each have a song of their own on this album. Tom with Saturday Morning and Steve with Let Time Go Lightly. Both songs are tremendous in my opinion.

[@sentimentalelephantsamusic9730]

So glad you are enjoying Harry Chapin, he is brilliant. I have recently been getting into a singer-songwriter from the 60s-70s that I really think you would find interesting : Harry Nilsson. He had a very wild career with a ton of incredible music. He was much beloved by the Beatles (Ringo Starr was best man at his wedding, and he and John Lennon were notorious drinking buddies). He scored the movie Popeye. He made an album that was turned into an animated children's special, The Point. He could do silly and heartbreaking, rockers and ballads. He had a beautiful voice and was a witty and imaginative songwriter. He did albums of jazz standards as well as an entire album of Randy Newman songs. He had an incredible amount of amazing songs : "1941", "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City", "One" (a huge hit for Three Dog Night ... cover comparison?) , "Jump Into The Fire", "My Best Friend", "Coconut", "Good Old Desk", "You're Breakin' My Heart", "Daybreak", "Cowboy", "Daddy's Song", "Without You", "Everybody's Talkin'" (the last two were covers ... more cover comparisons?) I really hope that you check him out , I seriously think you will like him.

[@sidecardog5244]

Great suggestion. Didn’t dive too deep on him but the songs you mentioned I have heard and loved. I think he did a reaction to a fast rocker that I didn’t know was by HN. Jump into the Fire

[@sentimentalelephantsamusic9730]

@@sidecardog5244 so he did, I didn't know :) Many people preached the gospel of Nilsson in the comments on that video, so I will just say that I hope Daniel does more of a deep dive because I truly think he would get a lot out of it.

[@markoneil2055]

Harry Nilsson's documentary Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? is a great story of his life.The scene with the old people is epic..

[@tfodthogtmfof7644]

The last song on that album “The Shortest Story” is the saddest song ever. Great music.

[@theplanetruth]

Even as a kid I knew it was profoundly sad.

[@marykral6463]

@@theplanetruth I was lucky to see Harry in concert over 20 times. When he sang The Saddest Story he always asked us NOT to applause after. It was such a sad song.

[@miketocci]

It's such a short song, obviously from the title, but a really under appreciated one from his catalog. It's deep in meaning and says a lot in just a couple minutes.

[@anthonyblakely399]

First of all...I love that shirt Yes you know that is my all time favorite group.....gotta send you a "yes" shirt and you like lyric deep lyric Harry is the one.....and he tells you why a lot of artist's song weren't on the radio or the songs on radio....time....2:30 - 3:00...This was one of my favorites from Harry. Harry and Gordon and Simon are one of the greatest songwriters in music history!!!

[@markoneil2055]

A Better Place to be is a must listen but The Mayor of Candor Lied is a less known masterpiece.

[@johnandrews3151]

Harry Chapin/Dance Band On The Titanic studio version

[@Otokichi786]

Harry Chapin's "Greatest Stories Live" was a revelation when I heard he LP. I later bought the CD and made a cassette tape for the car stereo. It was the gateway to the rest of his repertoire, which is second to none for the singer-songwriter period. This was about the time of "WKRP in Cincinnati," which took us behind the scenes at a radio station that had just changed from "soothing sounds for senior citizens" to Rock. The W.O.L.D. DJ is something like "Dr. Johnny Fever" on that TV series, who's been "up and down the dial." kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5a0kn2KmKqdbZY

[@rhinehold4268]

BTW, I don't recommend watching this now since it has a lot of music in it that you are still listening to... but last October there was a very good documentary on Harry Chapin released and it's currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes... It is called 'Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something', which was one of his sayings... Everyone else, go watch that documentary!

[@daveking9393]

Thank you!

[@miketocci]

I got the DVD and have watched it a half dozen times since. A great film! I was surprised to see a doc on Harry in 2020 but sure happy about it. I even bought a copy for my buddy who moved to another state. We grew up in the 90s listening to lots of music together and exposing each other to our favorites. He made me a fan of a lot of his favorites and I turned him on to Chapin music.

[@kj320175]

Harry is amazing, my favorite musician of all time. Bummer is an amazingly deep song or Six String Orchestra is brilliant. My Uncle met him at a show he did on long island back in the late seventies and Harry wanted to know more about my Uncle and didn't want to talk about himself

[@cathynb9205]

Good Lord you are such an old soul. I love how you touch into these old songs that mean so much to me. Your before your time. Much love.

[@sidecardog5244]

East of the Mississippi, the radio call letters started with W’s, to the west, they started with K’s. See WKRP Cincinnati (a TV show) or FM (movie) about those days of early FM stations. Growing up I listened to a station out of Austin, TX...KLBJ. On Saturday nights they played live concerts on “The King Biscuit Flour Hour” then, National Lampoon radio skits (John Belushi/Chevy Chase/Bill Murray... before Saturday Night Live).

[@foxandscout]

King Biscuit Flower Hour was syndicated and played on Sunday nights. It began in 1973 and it was live concerts recorded in/by a mobile truck then edited/mixed and sent to participating radio stations (at one point there were 300) a couple weeks later. Often it was a concert I had attended. The station in NYC was WNEW FM-a great rock station.

[@sidecardog5244]

@@foxandscout Thanks, great info...was that called KB Flower Hour or Flour, as in the stuff you make biscuits out of. I thought it was an advertising thing.

[@foxandscout]

@@sidecardog5244 well you are right about the source, but they did spell it “Flower.” This is from Wikipedia: “The show's name was derived from the influential blues radio show King Biscuit Time, which was sponsored by the King Biscuit Flour Co., combined with the hippie phrase "flower power.”

[@georgewodicka4839]

Welcome back my friends...the best opening tag line possible :) Never stop exploring Harry. Or Croce. Or James Taylor. Or Gordon Lightfoot. And two personal choices, American legends, John Denver and Glen Campbell. Both have stories and lives defined by music amid tragedy and sadness. "Annie's Song" John Denver "Wichita Lineman" Glen Campbell These are great starts.

[@markoneil2055]

Kenny Rogers had some great story songs too.

[@miketocci]

Harry is my personal favorite but these are all great singer songwriters

[@debrakron9049]

Harry Chapin; What Made America Famous. Great story and still relevant today!

[@marvinflyer3043]

This song is timeless. I went to see Harry Chapin a couple of times at Stony Brook University approx 1975 or 76 with a friend. I didn't study there but I had a friend who did. Mitch if you're reading this do you remember? It's too bad Harry got into a mishap on the Long Island Expressway just a few short years later.

[@bobmessier5215]

Good reaction. Well said at the end, Daniel.

[@hongfang2508]

This was the second song that got major FM radio play (after Taxi) back in 73 or 74 when I was introduced to him.

[@skroehr]

Hi Daniel...Harry was so awesome. On that same album is a gem called A Better Place to Be that’s so real, and relatable, and told so emotionally that if it’s been a while, it can still make me cry. In fact that whole record is probably the best live singer/songwriter live album I’ve ever heard. It continues on to another double live album called Tales of the lost and found, which has the rest of his best songs, including Mail Order Annie. With just those two live albums, you have a pretty solid Harry Chapin collection. Anyway thanks for this one. Lots of great memories.

[@miketocci]

Legends of the Lost and Found (1979)

[@daveking9393]

Loved it. Thanks

[@jc296x]

Some other amazing songs by him : "Sniper" - The live version of will give you chills "Corey's Coming" - Album version is great but there's also a live version ("Rockplast Live") with some extra verses that I think make the story even more emotional. Underrated song - "The Mayor Of Candor Lied" will glue you to the story so well you won't realize how great the music is. (album version is fantastic) Any one of those will easily turn a 5-7 minute song into a 30 minute Dicon video because there's just so much to take away.

[@miketocci]

Corey's Coming from the live album Legends of the Lost and Found (1979) also has those extra verses and it sounds way better. It's on KZbin so check it out if you haven't already. It's well worth it. And that album was also subtitled Greatest Stories Live 2. Lots of songs that were unreleased at that point as well as some extended versions of others like Corey and If My Mary Were Here.

[@sirluke7]

This brings back many memories when I was 10 years old. In the darkness of the night.... just before expiring into the ether's, I would lie in bed and seek comfort in my AM radio station KELI in Tulsa.... I waited for W.O.L.D. and then they would play Bloodrock's song D.O.A. I then drifted off....

[@eddiewillers1442]

There was no voicemail or answering machines back then, Daniel. Yes...it was over the phone live.

[@timothyfunk8265]

You have really good taste. Rock on....

[@oriolesandravens]

I worked in radio as a DJ, Music Director (I picked the new music and programmed it into the computer), Heavy Metal DJ. Harry was writing about any one of us that went from station to station, city to city, state to state, pursuing the dream. Not necessarily cheating on our wives, but chasing the dream. We had that dream of settling down, but the radio in our blood pushed us on. And it's been said over and over, if you haven't been fired in radio, you never really worked in radio. His line about drifting up to Tulsa is spot on.

[@thomasfranjesevic2339]

"Anywhere's A Better Place To Be" is a remarkable story

[@cathynb9205]

God bless your sweet little heart. Your choices touch me so much.

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Thank you. Always loved this song, but forgot how it ended. Your reactions are great

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Harry is just incredible, brought a tear to my eye also. Wow. Great reaction.

[@rosmeeker1964]

Off that album my choices for you to have the next listen to would be 'I wanna learn a love song' and '30,000 pounds of bananas' (which is a real classic.) Other great stories..'The Mayor of Candor', 'Corey's Coming', 'The Danceband on the Titanic'. AND...thank you for playing Harry Chapin. I'm more than happy to listen. :) ('Corey's Coming' and 'If Mary were here' are songs I still play. Perhaps strange when delivered by a female but I don't care.)

[@miketocci]

Not strange at all in my opinion. Harry's story songs appeal to anyone who live this kind of music and have an open heart to receive the music

[@rosmeeker1964]

@@miketocci :)

[@sherryheim5504]

I liked this song a lot and haven't heard it for a very long time. Chapin was a great live performer, never a dry eye in the place, he was always one of my favorite storytellers, too. I had all of his albums on vinyl back in the day. He (character in the song) left his wife and never tried to come back until his career had failed him. My very favorite Harry Chapin song is "Shooting Star". The album version is the best for this one. Please react to it, it is a beautiful story or just listen to it for yourself Daniel if you don't want to react to it. I think you will really love it too. It is a very deep cut.

[@tfodthogtmfof7644]

Actually he died in an auto accident at the top of his career.

[@daveking9393]

@@tfodthogtmfof7644 I was thinking the same thing I'm glad you said something... Unless the he Sherry is referring to is the character in the story....

[@sherryheim5504]

@@daveking9393 Yes I am refering to the character not Harry. As far as I know/knew, Harry was still married when he died.

[@tfodthogtmfof7644]

@@daveking9393 good point.

[@marykral6463]

@@sherryheim5504 yes, Harry was very much married to Sandy and they had 5 kids. He was an amazing human being.

[@vinnygi]

WOLD is definitely the call sign for a fictitious radio station (although it has since become real radio station). When he did this sing live, he would usually substitute the call sign for a local station.

[@melissakhalar1842]

A great album.

[@anthonymussari8783]

40 years gone this July 2021...tragic.

[@greggeller450]

Very sensitive reaction, as usual. Great job. Harry relates the possibly inherent sadness that comes with being an unseen radio DJ. In the Madison, Wisconsin market in the 1970s there was a popular AM radio jock...everybody listened to him. I used to see him whenever my girlfriend and I went to a small, local diner. He was always there, alone. Nobody talking to him. Nobody with him. His life would begin again in the morning, on the radio. ... But that was it.

[@SusanRandt]

Harry is my favorite!!!! I am so glad you like him.

[@showmoke]

Yes, I remember this song. Popular at the time and heard it on the radio quite a bit in the UK. I see that there is a reference to the artist Troye Sivan on your screen at the 18:02 mark. It would be interesting to see you do a review of some of his work and it would be fascinating to see/hear you unravel the meanings to some of his songs! ;)

[@Pronzini1]

The bridge was sung by his brother Tom Chapin......and Big John Wallace was as usual fantastic on the deep background vocals!

[@carlswenson5538]

A great storyteller, composer and performer taken from us far too soon! His brothers played in the band for this show. Brother Tom was the host for the show the educational TV 'Make A Wish'. Harry's philanthropy is legendary and is still very active. His concerts had food bins that people were encouraged to donate and the collection was given to local food banks. His influence remains with me to this day.

[@turnerdan53]

The DJ often reacted to new music and could boost the air play of songs. I like to listen to reactors for doing the same for old song. Keep them flying.

[@wallyboy6666]

:) Daniel, Harry Chapin was someone that I would've loved to meet, also. ♡ His death really affected me deeply. It still does. He was a great humanitarian with a lovely soul. ♡ I've listened to that album repeatedly over the decades. Thank you for doing more of his songs. :)

[@mrtyreus0]

Listen to his first two albums in their entirety. Dogtown, Sniper, Burning Herself, Woman Child, Greyhound. So many gut-wrenching & relatable stories.. Also, the Mayor of Candor Lied.

[@mrtyreus0]

Any updates/ thoughts?

[@williammuntzer7374]

I agree with you. Harry is a master storyteller. He caught my attention when I was your age. I still play a few of his songs on my guitar. You might enjoy a song called "Any Old Kind of Day". Thanks for the reaction.

[@hongfang2508]

Back in those days, AM radio played the top 100 hits daily. Songs were 3 minutes long to fit the AM format. FM radio became more popular (1) because FM could broadcast in stereo and (2) because FM found its niche by playing longer tunes and alternative rock, songs like those of Harry Chapin. So the audience that wanted to go deeper into songs shifted to FM radio. East of the Mississippi River, radio stations start with the letter 'W' (I believe K starts stations west of the river). So W.O.L.D. is a take on a radio station and serves the double meaning of being on the elderly side of life.

[@miketocci]

Thanks for pointing this stuff out. A lot of people don't realize this kind of thing, especially these days.

[@robtalbot3852]

WOLD-FM was a radio station in Marion, Virginia, started in 1968.

[@daveking9393]

Just go ahead and do the full album reaction so you can listen to it over and over again like we all have

[@ethelynchristopher6995]

30,000 Pounds of Bananas is a great fun song, especially the live version on the album you're holding. I believe Roy Clark adds his banjo prowess to this version.

[@eolair]

I never saw Harry live, I was only 8 when he died, but my father was a big fan and saw him many times. But I used to listen to his live albums all the time. If you like Greatest Stories Live, then you should check out the live album "Legends of the Lost and Found" ( open.spotify.com/album/0LV1F36fmedkfsddynDHcU?si=8wzqF_CASDapcGZ5VWT4wQ ), some incredible songs on there including "Stranger with this melodies", "Corey's Coming" (extended version), and the finale "You are the Only Song" leading into the song he always ended with "Circle". My father passed away when I was 20 and the songs of Harry Chapin have always felt like I had a piece of my Dad with me for the rest of my life

[@stephenhuber1219]

30,000 lbs of bananas was a true story from Scranton, Pa.

[@glenndespres5317]

Love your Yes shirt! This is like watching myself as a youth. As for Mr. Chapin... my wife turned me on to his music and she had this album so I am a fan. I would guess this song is about getting OLD... W-OLD?

[@woodysthoughts4032]

When he's on the road, he probably substitutes the call letters for the local radio station in place of W.O.L.D.

[@tahfaa66]

Your best feelings has been right on!

[@scubawrestler]

I first heard this song on the stereo system on a Pan Am jet from Frankfurt to New York, when I was 21. I ran across your reaction this morning, and immediately related. The "OLD" is classic literary irony, It works so well in this song. Another irony is the W in the call sign. He says he's now in Boise, where the call sign would begin with a K, but of course that wouldn't work with the rhythm and beat. I couldn't agree with you more!

[@carlacook5181]

I love watching your face and eyes as you realize what the song is really saying, this was a great example, when you realized she had somebody else, during the last verse.

[@scottwocher9812]

That line about driving off in my car always seemed to me thst Harry had some premonition about what was going to happen to him in his car.

[@richardhubbarth2758]

He, like Gorden Lightfoot, were troubadours, storys through music

[@johnandrews3151]

Now you should react to the studio version, which was Harry Chapin's first top 40 hit in 1974.

[@miketocci]

W.O.L.D. was from the album Short Stories, released on Elektra Records in 1973.

[@MBGolfer]

One of my favorite albums ever. Every song is awesome. Have some fun with 30, 000 lbs of bananas...😂 He was absolutely awesome. He did more benefit concerts than paid ones. A great man indeed.

[@joonzville]

Feeling 45 going on 15...to me that means he thinks he’s gotten physically older (than his years, maybe) but hasn’t matured emotionally/psychologically.

[@elaineperry3101]

Please react to Mr. Tanner, The Rock and A Better Place To Be. I'm enjoying your reactions so much. I was very lucky to have a front row center seat at one concert where he decided to sit on the edge of the stage and play a couple of songs right in front of me. Such fond memories!

[@TheScavenger71]

Just a little FYI about some stuff that was before your time. Radio personalities have always been popular since the birth of radio but starting with the rock and roll era the disc jockeys became "one of us." Harry talks about being an FM jock which was a mixture of being mellow on some stations while others were just FM versions of fast talking AM jocks. AM radio was important to the youth of the 50s through the 70s and AM was king of the hill until the 70s when FM radios became affordable for everyone. The late Dan Ingram of WABC in New York was moved to tears when he told the story of a letter he received from a girl who was going to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. She said she had her radio with her and Dan said something that made her laugh and it caused her to change her mind and she didn't jump. A brief clip of Dan telling the story can be found on 77 WABC's website www.musicradio77.com/miscella.html (it is the last clip at the bottom of the page). Today's radio has become a vehicle for commercials with repetitive musical breaks between the ads so it is difficult for you to imagine but at one time disc jockeys were as popular as the artists who made the music and they were very much a part of our lives.

[@davidwarman4830]

One of my favourite albums all time. Mr Tanner is amazing.

[@navyskaterdude]

Jr High Memories.....W.O.L.D.ddddd

[@daveking9393]

Sounds fine. No distraction for me

[@tylerbuckley2092]

Now a great song by Chapin who was a dj before performing his songs